Goldendoodle puppy coat transition (Explained)

A Goldendoodle coat is a beautiful thing. It’s a favorite against every Doodle parent out there for the best reasons. Curious to know about the Goldendoodle puppy coat transition process from puppyhood to adulthood? Take a look. 

Every Goldendoodle will shed their puppy coat between the ages of 4-8 months. This transition can be fast or slow and can be subtle or obvious. A Goldendoodle’s coat can change its texture and even color as they get older.

Here’s everything you need to know about their coat and its various stages!

Does a Goldendoodle puppy’s coat change?

If you’ve brought home an adorable fleecy Goldendoodle puppy, it’s not uncommon to expect them to keep that coat forever in its soft and silky form. However, a Goldendoodle will have a coat change as they grow into their adult forms. This is similar to losing their baby teeth and growing adult ones instead. This transition happens only once in your Goldendoodle’s life.

Depending on genetics and other factors, the coat may change in its texture and color (more on those below).

Do Goldendoodles shed their puppy coat?

Yes, Goldendoodles will shed their puppy coat rather than simply switch their coat as it grows. For this reason, many Goldendoodle parents will notice that their puppy’s coats are matting all of a sudden, and there are clumps of fur all over the place. This is a sure sign that your puppy has started its transition!

This can make many fearful since most Goldendoodles don’t shed a lot, otherwise. Rest assured that your puppy is fine and healthy — they’re just growing up!

At what age do Goldendoodles lose their puppy coat?

This can vary pretty extensively. Most agree that the Goldendoodle coat transition can be anywhere from 4-8 months in age. Some start before or after that. Most breeders agree that it will happen before their first birthday.

Can Goldendoodles have a changed coat color?

If you love your Doodle’s adorable brown coat, you might be fearful that their coat color is going to change. In some cases, it can. Often you can take a look at the features around your Doodle’s face. If their coat color is darker there, their adult coat may come in darker. Or, it could go lighter and leave adorable darker features around their face as you see now.

You don’t need to worry about your puppy’s coat changing dramatically from white to black or from brown to snow white (or vice versa). But sideways color change and shifts are very common.

Are there other factors that can influence my Goldendoodle’s coat changing color!

Yes! Their coat can change for various factors, many of which are related to health. Some of the most prevalent causes include:

• Age
• Sun bleaching
• Nutrition problems
• Grooming

Age

As your dog ages, it’s not uncommon to have some fading in their coat color. This is precisely how humans will have the same grey/white hair as they age. This can happen at any time in their life.

Sun bleaching

If your dog loves to lounge in the sun and play around as much as possible, sun bleaching is possible. Their darker colors will lighten slightly, and some of their exposed fur can turn yellow or even white, depending on the amount of sun damage or bleaching.

Nutrition problems

If your dog is malnourished, their coat will fade, become dry, and change color. Since its natural luster fades, it often appears to turn darker than it used to be. If their nutrition is rebalanced, it brightens and lightens their coat color.

Grooming

Lack of grooming can darken their coat color, and grooming at proper intervals can help lighten and brighten their coat color. Grooming on a regular and recommended basis helps promote comfort for your dog and visible benefits for their aesthetics, too.

Do Goldendoodles get curlier with age?

Depending on your dog’s specific genes, some Goldendoodles will get curlier as they age. Their coat texture can change as that Golden Retriever and Poodle gene combination battle it out in your dog.

Most Goldendoodles will have adult fur that feels stiffer and is denser than puppy fur. This adult fur is stronger and can withstand the elements and expectations of the world better than the delicate and soft puppy fur.

Types of Goldendoodle coats

There is more than one kind of coat that a Goldendoodle can have. This will depend mainly on the genetic combination of their parent breeds. Your three options are:

• Straight, shaggy fur
• Wavy, fleecy fur
• Curly coiled fur

The most common for Goldendoodles are wavy fur. This is generally the most preferred coat option because there tends to be minimal shedding. It gives your dog a charming personality, too.

How do you tell what coat a Goldendoodle puppy will have?

This is a topic of much discussion, as you can imagine. Goldendoodles are best known for their fluffy and fleecy coats, after all, as we discussed. However, as we also discussed, there are three coat options available to choose from. So, how do you know which your puppy will have when they grow up? Here are some questions to help guide you.

• Does your Goldendoodle have a curly and defined mustache?
• Does your Goldendoodle have a shaggy beard?
• Does your Goldendoodle have a neat and tidy muzzle?

Does your Goldendoodle have a curly and defined mustache?

If your Goldendoodle has a mustache that is curly and very defined (meaning that you can see it easily), this is a sign that they will grow into a curly hair coat. It may or may not be a different color than what you see in their mustache!

Does your Goldendoodle have a shaggy beard?

If you notice that your Goldendoodle has a shaggy and slightly waving beard, then this means they’ll have a wavier fleece coat. The more the beard weaves, the more their fur will weave in most cases.

Does your Goldendoodle have a neat and tidy muzzle?

If your dog’s muzzle simply looks like the rest of them with no clear distinctions in curls or beards, it is a likely sign that your Doodle will have a straight coat rather than the curled or fleece coat.

Is this a sure thing?

No! While these are signs that you can watch for to help you get a feel for what will happen as they transition from puppy to adulthood, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be the case every time! This “surprise” part of their fur change is often part of the charm of these loveable dogs.

What happens during a Goldendoodle puppy coat transition? 

The transition process is a little different for each puppy. However, the main transition phases include:

• Start with a soft, silky puppy coat
• Owners see mats start to appear
• Clumps of fur fall out
• Their fur starts to transition
• Their adult fur grows in

So, what does that actually look like? Each Doodle will start with classic puppy fur that is silky and incredibly soft. Sometime after 4 months, pet parents will see mats start to appear in their dog’s armpits, by their ears, in between their toes, and in other areas where there is a lot of friction. The mats might be mild or severe. These can be minimized by proper grooming.

At the same time, or after, your Doodle’s fur will start to fall out in clumps and will look like a classic shedding session in other dogs. It could be, again, subtle or very strong and concentrated.

Depending on genetics, shedding and matting will go for weeks or even a few months. During this transition, their new coat will also start to work its way forward. If their fur type changes, you’ll see the old mixed in with the new. This gives your dog a really charismatic look! 

By the time they reach their first birthday, their adult coat should be grown in, or very close to it! Once they transition over, their shedding and matting will return to normal, you’ll be happy to know!

If you are struggling with the matting and the shedding, allowing your dog to swim regularly can help! This pulls free the clumping hair and prevents it from matting. Also, don’t forget to book your dog in for regular grooming! This will help, too.

In Short

Between 4-8 months of age, your Goldendoodle will shed their puppy coat and grow into their adult coat. This could be a fast and minimal process or a long and complicated process depending on their breeding. Their coat can change colors and textures, too.

At times, a puppy’s transition from its baby coat to its adult coat can be awkward, but it’s also pretty exciting when you see just who he’s transforming into!

The key is to help them stay as comfortable as possible and see if you can guess what kind of coat they will have based on their features!